Internal-combustion engine.



HfA. KNOX.

INTERNAL COMBUVSTIDN ENGINE APPLICATION FILED JULY 14.!911.

Patentbd Jan. 15, 1918.

z'suins-snti't l- A TTORNEYS.

HARRY A. KNOX, OF CHICOPE E FALLS, MASSAGHUSETTfi.

INTERNAL-COMBUSTION ENGINE,

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Jan. 15, 1915.

Application filed July 14, 1917. Serial No. 150,599. a

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, HARRY A." Knox, a citizen of the United States of America, re siding at Chicopee Falls, 1n the county of Hampden, and State of Massachusetts, haveinvented certain new and useful Improvements in Internal-Combustion Engines, of

which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to internal combustion engines and more ltla-rticularly to improvements in four cycle engines of the sleeve valve type.

Sleeve valve engines have been used heretoforc, as I am aware, but have not (IOIJCHJ into general. use on account of certain di advaliittges in construction and operation. inherent in the structures heretofore provided. Engines, which have two sleeversa concentrically located one within the other, have been used, but they have thedisatb vantage that it is diilicult to obtain proper cooling at high speeds. Engines with a single sleeve valve have also been used, but heretofore it has been found necessary, in order to closing of the ports, to employ a con1plicat d motion, as in combination of rcciproc ry and o latory movements, which is difficult to o) in The oscillatorymove ment is obje. ioi'lable in that it has a dot rimental, action on the pis tn rings and, moreover, materially dirni hes the area .availalirlc for the ports in the cylinder, This invention concerned among other thil'igs with the arovision of a sleeve valve engine which me from the diiliculties above set forth. r

According to one feature of the invention, a single sleeve provided with exhaust and inlet openings to cotiperatewith exhaust and inlet ports in the cylinder and thcposition oi. the sleeve changes b a simple harmonic motion which, in com iination l with the changes of position. of the piston 45 by a like motion, effects communication between the openings, ports, and cylinder at properly timed intervals in the engine cycle.

According to another feature of the invention the single sleeve is reciprocated by a crank, driven from the engine crank-shaft,

crank with relation to the speed and throw of the crank-shaft the piston and sleeve are moved with relation to one another and with *ure properly timed opening and engine; and by gaging the speed and throw of the I the entire periphery of the sleeve and cylinder may b utilized for openings and ports,

whereby relatively large port areas may be obtained with valve the character described According to another feature of thinvention, a single reciprocable sleeve valve is provided-in four cycle on with relation to the or rice ranlt'sha-ft so that it is giver on scum lie for every four piston etroiv and thus a complete cycle of engine operation."

According "to a further feature of the in vention, a sin le sleeve valve is provided in a four cycle inc and is rcciprocated by a continuously rotatable crank timed to re volve once during each four revolutions of the engine crankshaft, and thus, by one complete stroke during four piston strokes, to efl'eot, in properly timed relation and in combination. with the piston, the opening and closing of the various ports The sleeve on its second stroke moves reversely to eomplete the cycle of operation of its crook, and

accomplishes the same results in a similar manner for a succeeding cycle of engine oporation According to another feature of the'in.

vention, the necessary area of inlet ports and the sufficiently early opening and sufiiciently late closing of the inlet ports are effected by providing two series of inlet ports in the cylinder which are arranged at different levels and are adapted to be opened and closed at different times. 1

Other features of the invention will a pear in the following description and in tl ie illustrated embodiment of the invention in the accompanying drawings, in which-- Figure 1 is a sectional elevational view of afour cycle explosive engine embodying the invention;

Fig. 2 is an elevational view of a sleeve valve construction adapted for use in the Fig. 3 is a sectional plan view of the sleeve valve shown in Fig. 1, the valve as removed from the engine Figs. 4, 5, 6, 7, S and 9 are fragmentary sectional elevations showing diagrammatiwhy certain relative positionings of' the belng shown sleeve, piston, and engine ports, which successively obtain during'two cycles of engine eyeration; and

ig; '10 is a chart of the engine crank nvvement, for one completeengine cycle, combined with a chart oh s1eeve valve operating crankmovement for one com lete enginecycle, together *lth'fl. chart 0 the sleeve valve operating crank movement for,

a succeeding cycle of engine operation."

Referring to these drawings, and more particularly to Figsll to 3", inclusive, refers ence letter 0 represents the cylinder, the piston, v nectin'g-thelatter to the "piston. Slidable; in cylinder 0 andbetween it and piston 71 is a sleeve 15, wlrichis providedlnear its lower end with spaced horizontall extending arms 16. Rotatably mounted an driven from the crank-shaft's'by suitable means, as the chain and sprocket" connections 17, is a crank 18,

the pin-19 of which extends between the arms 16 and has thereon a's'qua'reblock 20 to engage andslide between the arms '16 to reciprocate the sleeve in an obvious manner.v I The sleeve15 is provided with a clrcum- I ferential series of exhaust openings 21,-near its upper end, and the angular spacing of these openings is best shown in Fig. 3. Be-.

low the openings 21 are three circumferential series of inlet openings 22, 23, and 24, each series being vertically spaced from thefother axially along the sleeve. The openings22, 23, and 24 are spaced circumferentially about the sleeve 15 in a manner similar tothat illustrated in Fig. 3. Exhaust ports are formed in and angularly spaced about the walls of cylinderc and with these ports the openin'gs21 are adapted to communicate at proper intervals. Below the exhaust ports 25 are upper and lower sets of inlet orts 26 and 27, respectively, and, as will ater appear, openings 22 and 23 at proper inter vals are adapted to communicate with the upper and lower "ports 26 and 27,'resp'ec tively, and at other intervals openings 23 and 24 are adapted to communicate with the upper and lowerports 26 and 27, respectively. I

Suitable jackets w for the circulation of cooling water are provided in the walls of cylinder 0, and the cylinder head It has s1mi-' lar jackets r. I extends downwardly into the cylinder 1: and terminates, just above ports-25 to form the upper Wall'of the combustion chamber. ()nc peripheral wall of head It is spaced from the inner wall of cylinder 0 suflicient'ly to permit sleeve 15 to move therelmtwcen and rings t, similar to piston rings, are provided to bear on the inner periphcry of the sleeve and prevent leakage. lhejslcm'e 15 itself may be ground so that its external periphery accurately fitsavithin the cylinder or it may be otherwise formed, for example, as illuss the crank shaft, and rthe in ,con-

The head It has a part which tratedin Fig. 2. The sleeve'l5, there shown,

is split along a 1ine28, and. thelsplit ends of the sleeve are then drawn together and, held in abritment, while the. outer periphery, of

the sleeve is preferably ground to size. The

sleeve 15 is otherwise similar. to sleeve 15 and is particularly advantageousin that it is [self adjustable to closely ,fit vthe cylinder walls. I

In the illustrated embodiment of the;in-, vention the crank 18 isdriven at one-fourth I the speed of crank-shaft s, and the throw of crank 18 is substantially one-half that, of the crankshaft. The ratio between the throws of crank 18 and crank-shafts may be varied, if desired, but such variation, according to its degree, will necessitate either 'a change in spacing of the seriesof inlet openings or the provlsionof additlonal series of inlet openings. The describedconstruotion, however, has been foundmost satis-'.

factory and is at present preferred.

In order to aid in an understanding of f the operation of the engine, several diagrammatical views (Figs/l to 9, inclusive) have been given, which show fragments of the piston, cylinder, and sleeve in different relative positions, and indicatesevoral conditions which obtain during successive cycles of engine operation. In order to completely show the conditionswhich obtain at anyperiod whatever, the chart in Fig.10 has been made. In this. chart, the line 30 represents two complete revolutions of crankshaft s and thus four strokes or one complete cycle of the engine, .The line 31 represents the movement of the crank 18 which occurs during the cycle represented by line 30, and,

since crank 18 revolves at one-quarter the.

speed of crank-shaft 8, line 31-represcnts one-half of a revolution of crank 18. 30 and 31 are marked to indicate the points where the ports 25, 26, and 27 are opened 7 and closed with relation to the angular posltions of the crank-shaft and crank 18, respectively, and is provided with angular dimensions between the points, whereby the time. of opening and closing the various valves may be definitely asccrtalncd with relation either to the positionof the crank shaftor crank 18, and thus the piston 11 or sleeve 15, respectively. For example, the

piston on its explosive stroke travels downwardly from upper dead center and, at the time 111 its descent when crank-shaft s has turned 11} degrees from upper dead center, I the exhaust port s opened nia manner;

to bc'more particularly described herein. During this movclncnt of crank-shafts, crank [8 will turn through an arc of 28.} degrees (one-quarter of 114 degrees) from an initial position, which is not its upper dead center but is spaced from the latter by an arc of 29} degrees. lVith this example, it is believed that the chart will be Lines .ports 27 but are, however,

clean; It-is to be noted that one complete cycle of engine operation (four strokes) occurs while the crank 18 is making one-hall a revolution and sleeve 15 one complete stroke. This stroke is largely a downstroke. The crank 18, however, continuously revolves and on the next half revolution will cause one complete stroke of sleeve 15' which is largely an. upward stroke. During this latter stroke ano or complete cycle of engine operation Will occur which'may also be considered as the line 30 and in order to show that sleeve 15 accomplishes on its second stroke precisely what is accomplished on the first stroke, the second half revolution of crank 18 has been represented in the chart'by the line 32, which has been. purposely ofi'set from line 31 to avoid confusion. The operation of the engine will now be described. Assuming that the parts are in the relative positions shown in Fig. 1.,the openings 21 are in registration with the ex-- haust, ports 25. The crankshaft 8 has moved substantially a third of the distance from lower to upper dead center positions, and the piston 19 is moving upwardly at a. speed near to its maximum. The crank 18 is movingthe sleeve 1.5 downwardly at its maximum speed but, since crank 18 moves at only one-fourth the crank-shaft speed and since its throw is only half thatof the crankshaft, the sleeve 15 moves downwardly relatively slowly as the piston j) moves up wardly so that the exhaust ports 25 are not closed until the piston has reached and slightly passed its upper dead center position. I

On the downstroke of the piston, the sleeve 15 continues to move downwardly but at decreasing speed as it is approaching its lower dead center position. The exhaust ports 25 are closed and will remain closed since openings 21 have been carried below the ports25, and the sleeve '15 is still moving downwardly. As the piston continues to move downwardly on its SUClllOH SUOli'G, the openings are uncovered by the pis- 'ton and move intp registration with the upper inlet ports 26, At substantially the same time openings 23 are carried into po-- sition to communicate with the lower inlet covered by the piston, so that fuel is drawn into the cylinder through the upperinlet ports only, the

parts then being in the relative positions shown in Fig. 4-. On further downward movement of the piston, the openings 23 are uncovered while in registration with the lower inlet ports 27 and before the openings 22 have moved entirely out of communication with the upper inlet ports 26, for the sleeve 15 is moving at decreasing speed while the piston is traveling at nearly its maximum speed. Thus, the lower inlet ports are opened before the upper inlet ports are closed. Fig. 5 illustrates the condition' described. After the lower inlet ports'27 have been opened, the piston appreaches its lower, dead center position, and although it is moving at decreasing speed so also is the sleeve, with the result that the upper inlet ports 26 are not closed until the wardly and covers openings 23 at substan tially the time that the sleeve reaches lower dead center positn'm. It will thus be seen that the lower inlet-ports are not closed until after the piston has traveled an appreciable distance on its com n'ossiou stroke, approximately one-fifth of its stroke. On further upward movement of the piston, the sleeve 15 commences to move upwardly but very slowly as c .mk 1.8 is just leaving lower dead center position. The piston, traveling much faster, covers openings 22 before they are moved into communication with the upper inlet ports 26 and continues to cover the openings 22 while they are passing the ports 26. The sleeve'moves upwardly so slowly that the openings 21 do not reach positions in which they communicate with the exhaust ports 25 at the time the piston has reached upper dead center position.

' The openings 2l'do not communicate with the exhaust port until the piston has traveled.considei'algily more thanhal'f the dis tance on its explosion stroke, as shown by the chart in Fig. 10. However, before the opeuii'igs 2i begin to ccuinnunicatc with the exhaust ports 25, openings 22 and 23 have been carried above the upper and lower in.- let ports 26 and 27, respectively, so that these ports are closed before the openings and are uncovered by the piston on its explosion stroke. The openings 21, as has been described, begin to communicate with the exhaust ports after the piston has con- I is to carry openings 23 toward the upward upper inlet ports inlet ports 26 and openings 2% toward the 'lower'inlet ports 27, the-openings being carried toward the exhaust ports 25 to inoperative positions. The openings 22 perform no function in the second cycle the openings 24 performed none in the first.

The openings 22 and24, therefore, come into operation alternately on successive cycles and, althoughopenings 2-3 function in each cycle, they'cooperate alternately on successi ve cycles with theupper and lower inlet ports 26 and 27. v

As the piston continues to move downwardly on its suction stroke, the sleeve continues to move upwardly and the openings 23 are brought into registration with the 26 at a time when they are just beginning to be uncovered by the piston. Fig. 8 illustrates the conditions which then obtain. As the sleeve continues to go up, openings 2i are brought into communication with the lower inlet ports 27 and before the sleeve 15 has moved upwardly to close the upper inlet ports 26, the piston has moved downwardly sutliciently to uncover openings 24 so that the lower inlet ports 27 are opened, as before, before the upper inlet ports 26 have closed. As the piston nears its lower dead center position, the sleeve 15 has been moved sutliciently to carry openings 23' above the upper inlet ports :26 and now nearing its upper dead center 1 sothat the.

the sleeve, position, travels very slowly,

openings Ql continue to register with the lower inlet ports 27 until the piston has.

moved upwardly on its compression stroke sufliciently to cover these openings 24. The relative positions of the parts are now as shownrin Fig. 9.' ()n the explosion stroke of the piston, the sleeve 15 moves dt'nvnwardly and eventually. brings openings 21 into communication with the exhaust'ports 25 and lowers openings 22, 23. and 2+. so that the openings 2-1 are brought to an inoperative position for the succeeding intake stroke and openings 22 and 23 are brought into position to cooperate with the upper and lower intake ports 26 and 27, respectively, as first described. a

A most important feature of the invention consists in the arrangement whereby,

single sleeve operated by a simple reciprocatory motion and cooperating periodicallywith the piston, I am enabled to obtain the properly timed opening and closing of the admission and exhaust ports. By a simple mechanical movement, the sleeve is caused to change its position by a simple harmonic motion, as does the piston, andby properly gaging the speed of the sleeve operating crank and its throw relatively to the crankshaft speed and throw, the sleeve and piston are made to move relatively toone another and to the cylinder so that properly timed opening'and closing of the admission and ex haust ports are obtained. This result has been secured by utilizing the non-uniform motion of the piston and combining with it a sleeve having a like motion and by gaging the speed and amplitude of one with relation to theother, together with an adjustment of the angle of lag or lead between the sleeve crank and the crank-shaft.

The use of a sleeve, having only a straight line reciprocating motion, is important and advantageous, not alone on account of the simplicity of the movement and the ease of obtaining it, but also on account-of the fact that substantially theentire periphery of the cylinder and sleeve are available for use as ports and, as will be seen from an inspection of Fig. the port areas may be made of ample size since the sleeve never rotates with respect to the piston. Another problem encountered in sleeve valve engines is to provide for a sutlieiently early opening and late closing of the admission, and I have solved this problem by providing two series 1 a sutiieiently early opening and the properlate closing, although either one of these desired conditions singly may be obtained..

The described arrangement is, how.ever,;pre-

ferred for by the use ofnpper and lower series of inlet ports, both the desired conditions are readily obtained and, by the arrangement whereby one opens before the other has closed, the admission is made continuo'us throughout the desired wide range. of piston movement.

The invention has been disclosed for the purposes of illustration in a form at present preferred, but the scope of the invention is defined by the appended claims rather than by the foregoing description.

1. A four cycle, engine, comprising, a cylinder, a sleeve slidable therein, a piston slidable in the sleeve, exhaust and inlet ports in thecylinder, openings in the sleeve to comwith a munieate with said ports tit-properly timed .with the cylinder till intervals, and means to reciprocate the sleeve so that its position changes hy a niple harand ct cts by its char s of position relatively to the pi ton. :Ztll'ltl der the iiiroperly tinted open l clo of said ports, saidi'neans he and arranged to move tl'ie sl plete stroke during four rake of the piston.

2. A four cycle engine, M cylinder having exhaus, and adni therein, a sleeve slidable in the cyliI '1 piston slidahle in tie sleeve, a era and connections trot the latter tr piston,

a crank-shaft to rec and means to rota shaft initialed at one-quartei crank-shalt, t sleeve to connnun properly tinned inter. cycle.

3. The combination with the cylinder am her, of a sleeve slit ash piston slidahle in the provided i the cylino opened and closed at vals by movement of ports provided in the t ports yap; the engine and inlet at dilferent allow the combusopened and said ports, a piston slidable in the sleeve, and

mcans'to give one strolte to the slcevewhile the p1St0I1 is making four strokes.

5. In four cycle engine, a cylinder having exhaust ports and two series of inlet ports' arranged at different levels, a sleeve slidable in the cylinder to control the 0pening and closing of said exhaust ports, a pis ton slidahle in. the sleeve, and three series of inlet openin i. arranged. at different levels and pied to communicute with said 1 ports.

6. The colnhi.... t on in a four-cycle engine and its combustion charm ber, of a split expandable sleeve slidablc in the cylinder, a piston slidahle in the sleeve, t port provided in the. cylinder and med and closed at prop a by movement of the inl t p l provided in the cylin der at d lier l the coiznhue on c arranged to l erly timed inter sleeve and piston,

ranged so that when the explosion occurs ising, a .on ports clc engine intermediate series of openings 'and. all arrangedhelo'w all said inlet ports are below the head of the piston.

In a four cycle engine, a cylii i r haw lil'lgl admission and exhaust ports ther in, a split exp ndahle sleeve slidahle in the c lititler, y. :cn slidahle in the sleeve-i, and means to thrive the sleeve one strolte while the piston is making four strokes, all con. structed and arranged so that the opening and closing of one of said ports trolled entirely by the movement of the t. l and the other en sle e and p1. an].

la a, tour cycle en. v

an exhaust port t red at dill cylinder, a "pie n. opening); 1. let, .l 1e latter to cot v. .e with said. t ust port at properly timed intervals and other openings, in ex cess of the number of inlet ports, provided in the sleeve to communicate with the letter at properly timed intervals.

9. In a four cycle engine, a cylinder havine; a of exhaust ports and two series of admission ports arranged at diflerent levels and to be opened and closed at difierent times, sleeve slidable in the cylinder, and having a'series of exlmust openings to communicate with said exhaust ports at roperly timed intervals and three series of Inlet openings arranged at dilferent levels, a piston slidable in the sleeve, and means to move the latter one complete stroke while the piston makes four strokes, the upper and lower series, of openings being arranged for communication alternately on successive en ine cycles with the upper and lower semes of .inlet ports, respectively and the hein arranged for communication alternate y on successive engine cycles with the lower and upper series ofinlet ports, respectively.

-10. In a four cycle engine, a. cylinder having exhaust and admission. ports therein, sleeve slidahle in the cylinder, :1 piston'shd able in the sleeve, means to move the latter one-stroke during one cycle of the engine, inlet openings provided in the sleeve to con municate periodically with said inlet port, and an exhaust. opening provided in the sleeve and movable from opposite directions in. successive engine cycles into 'concniunication with the xhaust portr 11.. In a four cycle engine, a cylinder having admission and sleeve in the cylinder, a' piston slidahle in the sleeve, and means to move the sleeve one complete stroke during four :"rolnas, the stroke of said sleeve hemp; eul tifttlttlly one-half that of said piston, id sleeve and pistonwcooperating with or another to entirely control the idon hav-- ilet ports "5W3 slidahle able in the opeuin and. closing of said. ports .ly by the mo ement of the y exhaust ports therein, a

. a sleeve slidable in the cylin having admission and exhaust Sorts therein, er, a piston slidable in the Sleeve, a crankshaft operated by the piston, a crank driven from the crank,- shaft at one-quarter the speed thereof and having a throw-"equal to substantially half that of the crank-shaft, said crank being arranged to, reciprocate the sleevevwith a motion similar to that of the piston but of half the amplitude and bv the relative difference in speed and amplitude to control the opening and closing of said ports at properly timed intervals.

13. In a four cycle engine, a cylinder hav ing admission and exhaust orts therein, a sleeve reciprocable in the cylinder to control the opening and closing of said orts, a piston reciprocable in the sleeve an having a greater stroke than the sleeve, and means to move the latter so that its position changes by a simple harmonic motion and so that one complete cycle of the sleeve o'ccnrs durin two engine cycles, all constructed and ar anged so that by variation in :pe'ed and amplitude of movement-of the eeve relatively to the iston a single sleeve cooperates .with the atter to open and close said ports at properly timed intervals.

HARRY A. KNOX. 

